Swinger

LE

marginally. SOIs tend to of a higher level, SOPs, as the name suggests are operation proceedures and tend to be minor tactics, niff-naff and triv, ie, which pouch goes where, wearing of waterproofs etc.

LE

SOPs are a specific to role set of procedures that the whole of the Army or armed forces must adhere to. SOIs are more unit specific. For example.

There may be a set of SOPs written on how a certain piece of equipment must be used. A particular unit may then write a set of SOIs which will compliment the SOPs but give guidence on how that equipment should be used within that unit.

LE

Warcorro - examine the SOPs in detail and identify all those areas that enable or require input from your HQ. THere will also be a certain amount of 'freeplay' in actually enacting the SOPs. This freeplay is where your SOIs come in. The SOPs articulate the 'why and how' at policy level - SOIs detail any local variations that your COmmander may wish to develop, as long as your HQ still satisfies the overarching requirements of the SOP.

MIA

To clear things up if I may - having been involved in the creation of a few and instructing on the doctrine at Bde level (sad I know).......and also not wanting to piss goon off............

This is an area of come confusion throughout the army, however.......

SOPs are GIVEN to a unit by their HQ - usually a Bde HQ. These will contain information on the conduct of procedures (strangely enough!!)

The Unit will do an extraction from these to create its Operating Instructions, only where the units actions in support of the SOP vary slightly due to a CO taskorging differently for examle. Alternatively if there is no SOP for a function that your unit can carry out you can do two things:

1. Decalre the capabiilty to Bde and ask for an SOP (the easy wasy!).

2. Create an SOI for your unit, pass it to Bde, who will then possibly create an SOP around it then issue it back (the hard way).

If the SOP from on high reflects the way your unit works then there is no point in making an SOI - copy and paste.

Therefore being doctrinally pure, a unit cannot have SOPs that it has written itself, only SOIs although this can get murky, for instance, A Bn CO can issue an SOP that after a beach landing the Bn SOP is that at D+2 it is to have established a Fire Line. The Mortar Pl will then have an SOI as to how exactly they would do it - clear a mud?

If you need a more detailed, spotterish conversation on this please PM me,

Swinger

Thank you contributors, especially the loggie. If i understan correctly, anything i wrtite will be SOI's until such time as they get approval fom above. They are outlining working pratices fro a deployable media ops headquarters, and as far as I'm aware its has not been done before so I'm starting from scratch and nothing to exract from. It reports to LAND, so no Bde HQ.

MIA

Essentially correct - but remember if it is approved from on high it is still an SOI as it hasn't been given to you by them. At a later date they should absorb your SOI into their SOPs as a capability. Once this happens destroy the SOI and cut and paste the SOP, as it is land you will be reporting to its likely that it will remain an SOI ad infinitum.